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2010-02-03 - Tenure
«Charles,» rings the telepathic non-voice of a woman who's pretty much made herself at home in the Mansion over the last couple of days. Somehow, she still manages to affect a cooing quality in her 'tone', despite the nature of the contact. «I've been /meaning/ to see you--busy, you understand. Settling in, and all; I'd like to chat, if you've got the time.» Following this, she rounds a corner taht brings her to Xavier's office door, and after comfortably leaning against one of its jambs adds, «Very important. You understand.» Professor Xavier has been sitting quietly by the window of his office, sipping a cup of Earl Grey. Then, Emma's mental voice reaches him, and he expels a soft sigh -- either for the thoughts he's dismissing from his mind or the task he's about to take on -- and touches the control on his chair, moving back around behind his desk. «Yes, Emma... I imagine we've plenty to talk about.» He's just setting down his cup and saucer, moving aside a folder of student reports, when Emma appears in the doorway. Glancing up, he arches an eyebrow and offers a dry little smile, saying aloud in a tone to match, "Do come in, please." "/Thank/ you," Emma says, matching the professor's dryness as she crosses the threshhold. Rather than the expensive, primarily white suits and dresses she's largely worn about the mansion, she is in something nearer to a costume: white pants, a barely existant white top and a white cape attached to either side of said top. "Tea; marvelous, I'd like a cup, if it's no trouble," she says as her eyes flick over Charles' cup and saucer, and afterwards she fixes her gaze on his. "Jean Grey has, I am sure, kept you very well informed, hm?" The outfit draws little more than a glance from the professor as he wheels over to his sideboard to pour a second cup of tea. After all, Emma's quite known for the... flamboyance of her fashion sense. "You're quite welcome," he answers lightly, "and it's no trouble at all -- do you take cream or sugar? And please, do sit down." At the mention of Jean, he looks up again, drawing a slow and thoughtful breath, and gives a more grim nod. "She has, and... of course, I'm very sorry to hear what happened at the Academy. As we well know, words fail to encompass the tragedy of it -- but, I'm sure you understand that only too well." Emma gives the briefest moment of consideration to remaining standing, as sort of a passive statement to the perpetually seated Professor; given the reason for this meeting, though, she ends up thinking better of it. She sits, she primly crosses her right leg over her left, and with a smile says, "A little of both should be sufficient. Don't trouble yourself so with groping for words, though; I was there. It was possibly the worst day of my life; I can bring you along to witness it as Jean did, if you like, but it's all rather a toxic brook beneath the bridge, by now." Pre-emptively, she holds her hands out to take the cup and saucer when they've been finished. "I would rather think of the future than get too tangled up in the past, anyway." Returning to the desk with the tea, Xavier passes it across to Emma and then settles back into place behind the desk, lightly folding his hands before him. "I shall trust, for now, in Jean's judgment of that memory and take you at your word. The matter... is not something I doubt. Rather, I only regret that it has taken such a tragedy for us to put our differences aside." He releases another slow sigh, that look of troubled thoughtfulness settling on his face again as he reaches out to lift his own cup and saucer once more. "Speaking of the future, however," the professor says, striving to quietly change the path of the discussion, "Jean informs me that you'd like to join our staff here at the school." "Of course you shall," Emma says with a thin smile. She waits until she's had a sip of tea before saying frankly, "Several weeks of psychic rehab had quite a lot to do with bringing us to where we are too; honestly, I can scarcely remember a day spent free of the cloying influence of Peru's finest, at the bare minimum." The cup and saucer are set daintily on the edge of the desk, and then after sitting back and lacing her hands in her lap she states, "Your staff, your... team, besides; I've rather a lot to offer to both, I imagine." Her lips curl upwards in another thin smile. "I /did/, after all, train my Hellions all by myself; I am sure that your students could attest to how fine a job I did." Nodding soberly along as Emma speaks, Professor Xavier sets down his own cup again and shifts forward slightly, pushing with his elbows. "I believe I can say with /confidence/ that your résumé is superb. I certainly do not doubt your qualifications or your potential usefulness to us in either capacity." Lips pursed, he lets himself sink back against the chair. "However, there is also that elephant in the parlor, so to speak. I think our greater issue will be in resolving... interpersonal issues." He holds up a hand slightly, "Now, you tell me that you've been under narcotic influence and that had a great deal to do with the past -- all right, I can accept that, especially if a medical workup corroborates your claims." His voice softens, then, and his eyebrows raise, "Yet again, there are quite a lot of... hard feelings pent up between us all. That cannot be lightly dismissed." "Well," Emma lightly says with her unabated smile, "/I/ am ready to forgive. And just think of the /message/ that putting an end to years of feuding for the benefit of us all might send. Rather an inspiring story to share with a world largely uncomfortable with the very notion of our presence, should the day come, I should think; tolerance, acceptance, understanding..." Xavier's eyebrows drift up a bit higher at this, but he does nod again. "All well and good, certainly. And, I'm prepared to graciously accept the proffered olive branch. However, I'm not certain that all those here will feel the same." He trails his fingertips lightly along the desk in front of him as though carefully considering his words, then looks up again. "It would need to be a transitional process, easing you into our midst to cause the least upset for everyone, give them the chance to acclimate to you presence and for you to find your feet in a new role among us." He tilts his head a bit. "It seems a... sensible compromise." "Of course," Emma allows after a soft chuckle. Gradually, her thin-lipped smile slides away into an expression of appreciative solemnity. She leans forward to try ceasing Charles' idle finger movement by clapping her hand don firmly atop his. "This will be the best for /all/ of us, I am certain; I imagine that in time, between the lot of us, we shall be well equipped to bring this establishment to untold new heights." A look of mild surprise settles on Xavier's face when Emma puts her hand over his, but he takes in stride -- so to speak -- and nods, returning her smile with a faint one of his own, nodding. "Yes, well, I certainly agree that's the best we can hope for the future. For now, I shall be pleased just to keep us on a healthy path of steady progress. Your presence here will be a bit of an upset, but I do hope that we will all come to find a new understanding between us." After retracting her hand and taking a fair few seconds to enjoy her tea, Emma turns her lips upwards again. A small nod is given as she replies, "I trust that even with the regrettable, but understandable delay on my taking a class of /your/ students, you'll not take umbrage with my using the Mansion's facilities to train one of my own." Another small sip is taken, leaving the teacup empty. "I was not the /only/ survivor, as it turns out..." Nodding, Xavier reaches out to pick up his own teacup again. "You're bringing a student with you, then? Well, so long as they are willing to submit security checks and obey the rules we have here, I see no reason why we would turn someone out in their time of need." He drains the last of his tea as well, though remains cradling the cup in one hand. "Fabulous." Emma sets her teacup on its saucer and rises to her feet. "Your or Jean may speak to her whenever you like; I took the liberty of finding an unoccupied room for her to stay the night in when she arrived yesterday. Jennifer Stavros - Roulette, she has chosen to call herself," she breezily says; there is a hint of genuine pride behind her words as she speaks of Jennifer. "She shall make for a fine addition to the student body." "I see," the professor replies. "I'll see that she's scheduled for an entrance examination and registration, then." He offers a smile, warmer than his others have been during the meeting, and sets down his teacup, extending his hand. "Well, Ms. Frost -- welcome to the school. I hope your stay will prove... enlightening for us all." "I am certain that it shall; I built my /last/ school solely on the premise of opening young minds to enlightenment, after all," Emma says as she grips the Professor's hand with just the right amount of firmness. "I shall have a designer on the phone to find the best possible place for my 'X' within the week." Xavier's smile settles into a wry little expression at Emma's proclamation, and he returns the appropriately firm handshake in kind. "Very well, then. Now, I have some paperwork to attend to -- perhaps I'll see you at dinner. Six o'clock, and don't be late. Ms. Johnson runs a rather tight ship in scheduling things around here."